DeMarcus Hicks, a recent nursing school graduate working as a contractor for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will receive a booster dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine on December 20, 2021 in Federal Way, Washington. Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
According to new research from the Altarum Healthcare Value Hub, most Connecticut residents have faced at least one healthcare burden in the past year.
In this study, “medical expense burden” was defined as not having insurance because of high medical costs, delaying or not paying medical costs because of medical costs, or defined as having difficulty paying for
Survey results also showed that 78% of respondents have some degree of anxiety about their current or future health care costs.
Health insurance premiums in Connecticut, on the other hand, are higher. The state insurance department approved his double-digit rate hikes on many health insurance plans in September. On average, we see a 20% increase in health care plans, but not more.
“It’s clear that state residents face multiple barriers to providing reliable, affordable, and quality care,” said Jill Zone, senior policy officer at the Universal Health Care Foundation in Connecticut. “These gaps are unacceptable and people want action,” said Jill Zorn in a press release.
Data show that 77% of residents who identify as Asian, Native American, and/or Pacific Islander report being concerned about unaffordable healthcare costs. Fifty-six percent of black or African-American residents and 57% of white residents also said they were concerned about future health care costs.
Beth Beaudin-Seiler, director of Altarum’s Healthcare Value Hub, said most residents are concerned about the affordability of healthcare, regardless of their political affiliation.
“The data also show broad bipartisan support for potential policy solutions,” Beaudin-Seiler said in a press release.
The survey found that 68% of Republicans, 75% of Democrats, and 67% of residents who identified as neither party agreed that changes were needed in the health care system.
Data were collected from 22 July to 12 August 2022 by the Consumer Healthcare Experience State Survey. More than 1,300 Connecticut residents participated in the survey.
